From John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer comes word that Reds outfielder Jason Bourgeois suffered a fracture in his left shoulder while sliding into a base and will be sidelined for the next 4-6 weeks.

Brennan Boesch, who signed a minor league contract with the Reds this winter, is now probably a lock for the Opening Day roster. He’s been working at all three outfield spots and first base this spring.

Bourgeois, 30, was 7-for-19 (.368) with an .895 OPS through seven Cactus League games.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Oakland Athletics owner John Fisher has reversed course and will continue to pay minor leaguers. Fisher tells Slusser, “I concluded I made a mistake.” He said he is also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees.

The A’s decided in late May to stop paying paying minor leaguers as of June 1, which was the earliest date on which any club could do so after an MLB-wide agreement to pay minor leaguers through May 31 expired. In the event, the A’s were the only team to stop paying the $400/week stipends to players before the end of June. Some teams, notable the Royals and Twins, promised to keep the payments up through August 31, which is when the minor league season would’ve ended. The Washington Nationals decided to lop off $100 of the stipends last week but, after a day’s worth of blowback from the media and fans, reversed course themselves.

An @sfchronicle exclusive: A's owner John Fisher reverses course, apologizes: team will pay minor-leaguers; "I concluded I made a mistake," he tells me. He's also setting up an assistance fund for furloughed employees: https://t.co/8HUBkFAaBx)